SUNDAY WILDFIRE UPDATE: Gusty winds expected to push fire

NOTE: The Enterprise is making coverage of this fire information available to all because of the emergency circumstances.
Firefighters facing the Durkee Fire are bracing for more hot weather Sunday and then possibly high winds Sunday afternoon that are expected to expand the out-of-control fire.
“Today, extreme fire behavior is anticipated,” according to a fire update issued Sunday morning.
The fire by the evening of Saturday, July 20, had covered 116,431 acres and run up against the remnants of the Cow Valley Fire. The Durkee Fire is now classified as a “megafire,” a term used for fires that exceed 100,000 acres. The Cow Valley Fire also is a megafire, covering more than 133,000 acres.
The leading edge of the fire was about eight miles from Vale. To the north, crews were trying to check the fire from spreading to the community of Durkee in Baker County.
Evacuation orders remained in place for portions of Malheur County just north of Vale and east of U.S. Highway 26. A Level 3 – “Go” ­– remains in place, according to official maps.